Passengers dreamed of living the ship life, traveling the world on a multi-year cruise.
But that dream ended early when the three-year voyage wrapped up a year early.
The Villa Vie Odyssey set sail in 2024 with cabins that were considered floating homes, costing about $230,000 for a suite for the life of the ship.
Florida-based Villa Vie Residences operated it, with 203 passengers and 156 crew members, The Associated Press reported.
CNN reported that a five-year residency began at $59,999, but a permanent cabin was $119,999. A monthly rental starts at $3,499. Monthly fees range from $3,299 to $9,500 for food, drinks, internet access, housekeeping, fuel, and other costs.
But instead of sailing to vast ports of call, the ship is now docked in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, on the Gulf of Thailand, with no departure date set.
The reason? The company said fuel costs have skyrocketed. Instead of the average $1,800 per cabin fuel cost, it was as high as $6,000 to $8,000 in some parts of Asia because of the war in Iran, the AP reported.
Villa Vie Residences tried to cut down on fuel use. It slowed the itinerary and spent more time in port, but it wasn’t enough.
“We have been unable to continue carrying the resulting operating losses,” Villa Vie Residences said in a statement. “Passing the full increase on to residents is not a realistic solution. Our focus now is on supporting residents, crew, and employees.”
“The company is working with residents to coordinate disembarkation and identify temporary living arrangements,” the statement continued.
Passengers said they have not had support from the company and have been forced to make their own arrangements, adding they had seven hours’ notice to disembark.
One passenger said the rising fuel cost wasn’t the only reason for the early end.
Paul Montoya, who lived on the ship with his wife for the past 17 months, said the company had issues before fuel costs went up.
Itineraries changed, internet access was unreliable, and food quality worsened, prompting some to leave the voyage on their own before the latest decision was made. It had been set to visit 400 locations during the multi-year voyage, CNN reported.
Lynn Montoya said they were asked to give extra money not only for fuel but other expenses. She said the ship was collecting money to leave Cambodia and that crew members were not paid.
“We were tired of every two to four weeks being asked for money for fuel, money for everything,” Lynn Montoya told the AP. “We had hopes but they just kept sinking further and further into the hole through mismanagement.”
Another passenger, Holly Hennessey, said they had to pay extra for fuel in May and the crew had been cutting back on cooling the ship to conserve energy, CNN reported.
Villa Vie Residences did not respond when asked by the AP for comment.
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